


Mist

by strata



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Implied Romance, M/M, Supernatural Elements, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strata/pseuds/strata
Summary: [ON HOLD]There’s only one rule in this town and one only: during the winter,never go to the forest.Jake goes.
Relationships: Park Sunghoon/Shim Jaeyoon | Jake
Comments: 20
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ** i-land is sucking the life out of me, and it doesn't help that it's another friday closer to the end T.T**  
>    
>  **anyway, about the tags: i know it seems random, but it's not a mistake lol. you'll see.**

> “There’s only one rule in this town and one only: during the winter, _never go to the forest._ Not during the day and not at any stage of the night. And even if you really must, stay here.
> 
> Don’t go to the forest. 
> 
> And if there are _(especially if there are)_ voices, don’t listen. Let their murmurs fall on deaf ears, to be carried far away by the wind. Because in the forest, those who follow the winter voices? 
> 
> They don’t come back. 
> 
> And if you get lost, even if it’s not your doing, no one will come looking. We’ll never see you again. So stay here where it’s safe, and no matter what, _don’t do it._ During the winter, never go. Not to the forest. 
> 
> Never to the forest.”

A moment of silence settles upon the common room of an old ski resort at the retelling of an age-old warning, the elderly owner of the place trailing off as she stares at the distance unseeingly—a foreboding vision by the fireplace where the light of the flames has made her white hair glow, thrown part of her face into eerie shadow. And it takes a moment, but among the myriad of people wrapped in blankets and cradling mugs of warm drinks, eventually, one person is brave enough to raise a hand in question. 

“But,” Niki says in a low voice, his movements careful as if too loud sounds will disrupt the tension in the air. He asks what everyone else is thinking. “Why do they never come back?”

“There are many theories,” Mrs. Jung answers, throat scratchy from the cold. She takes a sip from her own mug before continuing, the sea of ski resort patrons waiting in silence where they’re sprawled on the carpet, scattered armchairs, and the sofa. The lucky ones are on recliners for a more comfortable, suspenseful experience. “The most popular one is that in the cold months, the forest gets lonely. At the first chance of companionship, it takes.”

Emboldened that someone had asked something and received an answer, another hand rises like a sentinel among the crowd, just as slowly as Niki’s had, if not more so. 

“And has any…” Taki hesitates, but Kei nudges him in encouragement. “Has anyone gotten lost? Over the years?”

Mrs. Jung looks as somber as ever, the clink of her mug louder than it really is as she puts it down on the table across her. The answer is obvious, but the spectators still want to hear it firsthand, on the edge of their seats, eager to know. 

“Yes. We’ve built a tiny memorial for them, this little corner on the topmost floor. Has anybody seen it?”

There are scattered nods and murmurs of _yes,_ hushed, whispers in contrast to the wailing snow storm outside. It’s the only reason the ski resort’s customers are all gathered here: due to the weather and until it improves, everyone is stuck indoors with barely anything to do—hence the story time from Mrs. Jung. 

A haunted silence follows, shortly interrupted by the soft thud of knuckles on wood. A few people jump, startled, among them Sunoo whose hand flies over to his chest. His reaction causes a ripple of uneasy laughter throughout the room, the spell broken and all the more by Mrs. Jung’s middle-aged grandson. 

“Halmeoni, it’s late! And please stop scaring the customers!”

Once ominous-looking, Mrs. Jung’s expression shifts and immediately she’s indignant—a sweet grandmother in an instant, glaring at her grandson for interrupting her moment. 

“Scaring the customers? It’s the truth! Do you want another person on the memorial?”

Her son waves a hand, exasperated as he walks over to help Mrs. Jung up from her chair, and the crowd watches in amusement as he turns to them with a sheepish smile and what appears to be an apologetic bow, still talking to his grandmother. 

“The treeline’s marked and warning signs have been placed for a reason, halmeoni! Anyway, let the customers sleep! Sorry for the inconvenience, please enjoy your evening!” 

With that said, the group starts dispersing, drifting away in small clusters to head up to their rooms. Only eleven boys remain, most of whom are squished together in pairs on too small seats. 

“Do you think it’s true?” Daniel’s eyes are wide as his gaze turns to all of his hyungs from his spot on the carpet, sprawled upon a beanbag with Heeseung. “That the forest takes people?”

Geonu shakes his head, voicing a different concern about the same tale as he moves from by the fireplace and closer to the rest of them. 

“What I want to know is, do they really not look for people who get lost in that forest?”

“That’s just cruel,” Jungwon says in a small voice, restless fingers playing with the drawstrings of his hoodie as his eyes shift from person to person. “I mean, what if the stories aren’t true?” 

“But what if it is?”

Jay isn’t looking at any of them as he says this, gaze fixed on one of the nearby windows. It’s dark out but the whirlwind of snow is obvious. Across him, looking just as thoughtful, Hanbin agrees. 

“Yeah. You know how in some countries, there are stories about lakes and rivers taking a sacrifice each year, which is the reason why people drown?”

“It’s a forest though hyung,” Jake points out, making Jay turn to him with a mild glare as Hanbin simply shrugs and smiles. Jake laughs then, and Niki does too. “What? _It’s true!_ It wouldn’t be the same. That is, if the story’s not just another urban legend.”

“It probably is,” Heeseung contributes helpfully, one arm draped around Daniel’s shoulders. “To keep people away from the forest. It’s going to be the ski resort’s problem if anyone gets lost, so.” 

“It’s still scary,” Sunoo near-whines, practically climbing over Niki’s lap. “Niki-yah, save me!”

“Hyung!” Niki is trying his hardest not to smile, attempting to push Sunoo off him as he feigns annoyance. It’s not working and Sunoo knows—his grin has mischief written all over it as he throws them to the ground. _“Hyung, stop!”_

“Puppy pile!” 

Taki jumps up from his seat in excitement and throws himself over Sunoo too, and soon enough, seven boys are following suit to Niki’s cries of, _get off me you’re all heavy ow ow ow!_

“Ok guys, that’s enough,” Kei chides, amused and all, but it’s late and people are already sleeping. He stands up and pats the back of the person on the top of the pile, Hanbin, and lets his voice turn a bit sterner. As the hyung of all hyungs, he’s responsible for all of them. “Let’s call it a night. We want to be awake early later on today. Lots of activities to do.”

Everybody whines, even Heeseung, though the pile rights itself at his prodding. Niki looks comically harassed, shirt twisted oddly and hair a mess, but he isn’t hurt and his annoyance is so obviously fake. Everyone knows that, knows he’s a sucker for these friend things. 

“Let’s get to bed people,” Kei says with finality, herding them like sheep towards the staircase. “If you’re not sleeping, I’ll know!”

“That’s creepy, how will you even know,” Niki replies, petulant, and Kei swats him on the back of the head. It’s gentle though, and fond. But Niki being Niki, he still grumbles. 

“I just will. Lights out. No cellphones.”

“Yes eomma,” Taki teases, but Kei only ruffles his hair. Niki stops in his tracks, throwing his hands in the air at their direction. He looks betrayed. 

“What even is that? He gets a pat and I get a slap?”

The rest rolls their eyes at Niki’s antics, chuckling, while Sunoo appears beside him, all rainbows and sunshine. 

“I can give you a pat too, Niki-yah!”

At that, Niki makes a face as he moves away from Sunoo. “No way, no thanks! I’m going to bed! Good night to Taki only!”

He storms up ahead of everyone else, but the boys just laugh about it knowing he’ll be fine in the morning. Kei is the only one with a room of his own, but the rest go off in pairs, the night’s story a thought for tomorrow. 

“It can’t be real,” Jake tells Jay as they prepare for bed, pulling on more comfortable sleeping clothes. Jay just hums. “Let’s go there tomorrow. Let’s check.”

Jay is already sleepy so he just hums again, falling on his bed like a sack of potatoes. 

“Sure, sure,” he says, not taking Jake seriously. The thing though is, he should have.

All of them should have. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **~~this hasn't been completely edited, so if there are any mistakes, i apologize in advance. i'll fix them later. anyway,~~ please enjoy! **

“No.”

Kei doesn’t even bother with a glance, busy adjusting Taki’s ski helmet where they are outside the ski resort’s gear rental place, preparing to snowboard and ski the day away. It had been the group’s plan and the reason why they’re all here in the first place, but thanks to Jake and last night’s little story time, he and some of the rest have changed the itinerary to accommodate a new activity. 

Check out the forest. 

“But Kei-hyung,” Niki says immediately, already stepping forward to argue. Heeseung makes a confusing hand signal that probably says _cut it out_ (no one’s sure), but Niki persists. “We’re just going to look from _outside_ —” 

Kei turns around and gives them, specifically Niki, The Look. 

“I said no. You heard what halmeonim said last night.” When a passing Geonu snorts at that, Kei is quick to clarify, rolling his eyes. “And no, I don’t believe the story either, but there has to be a reason why we can’t go in there. Maybe there are no trails. Maybe it’s dangerous, or easy to get lost in. So the answer is no.”

_“But—”_

Jake lays a hand on Niki’s shoulder and abruptly shakes his head. Kei isn’t even suspicious in the least at what he’d just done; in fact, he shoots Jake a grateful smile before turning back to Taki to fuss over every little thing. Jake has always had a penchant for looking clueless and innocent when it’s actually otherwise, and he’s planning to put it to good use at the moment. 

“Pretend we’re getting ski helmets. I have a plan.” He then turns to Daniel. “Distract Kei-hyung, and then after a while, say you’re going to see what’s taking us so long. Ok?”

Daniel nods while Niki’s eyes brighten for a split second before he’s coughing and then schooling his expression back to what it was originally, surly and upset that Kei hadn’t allowed him, Jake, Daniel, and against his better judgement, Heeseung to visit the nearby forest. Stomping away, when Kei asks him where he’s going, Niki simply raises the hand he’s using to carry his helmet. 

“My helmet’s too big. I’m getting another one.”

That’s Jake’s cue. Heeseung mutters how bad of an idea this all is, but in his own words earlier, _“Since you’re still going to do it even if Kei-hyung tells you no, I’ll supervise and make sure you guys don’t actually go into the forest.”_

“Me too hyung! Be right back!”

Daniel is already talking to Kei so Jake only gets a little wave that translates to _go ahead,_ and he hurries after Niki who is, of course, not asking for another helmet but returning it. Jake does the same. 

“Where’s Daniel?” 

Jake makes sure no one has followed them first before turning to Niki. 

“Told him to distract hyung. He’ll be here in a sec.”

True enough, about a minute later and Daniel enters the rental place himself, Heeseung close behind him. The former looks nervous, the latter already done with their shit. To think they weren’t even in the forest yet!

“Geonu-hyung got a cramp, so Kei-hyung’s distracted plenty.” 

Niki pumps a fist in the air as Heeseung sighs. 

_“Yes!_ Let’s go!” 

Jake nods, already leading them back the other direction—gear rentals had two doorways, one that led back to the ski resort while the other led to the activity area—giddy over the prospect of visiting this ominous forest and returning unscathed to prove a point.

“We’re going to bring something back so the guys know we were really there,” he says, throwing an arm around Niki’s shoulders as they walk in sync, the other two close behind and conversing on their own. “Geonu-hyung won’t believe us if there’s no proof.”

“How about a branch?” Niki’s ecstatic to be breaking the rules, having readily agreed the first time Jake told him what he wanted to do. Daniel had taken some convincing, but not Niki. “Let’s look for a tree just outside the treeline that isn’t planted anywhere else.”

“Hopefully there’s one. Not a rock, we can get rocks anywhere—”

“Take a video and then we can go back,” Heeseung suggests. “Quicker too. The longer we’re gone, the more likely Kei-hyung will notice.”

“Oh yeah, great idea!” 

Why Niki and Jake hadn’t thought of that, they have no clue. 

Instead of going through the ski resort, the four of them circle back from the east side of the lodging. It’s a bit far, but all of them can see the forest from where they stand. Niki nods his head, like he’s preparing himself to do something difficult. Jake supposes this is hard—Kei-hyung can surprise them by arriving any minute, or a staff member of the ski resort itself. They need to hurry.

“Let’s go then,” Daniel says in a rush, wanting the entire ordeal over with. 

Jake and Niki turn to each other, grins brighter than ever. 

“Let’s go!”

  
  
  


… Jake’s not sure what he’d expected to see, but the forest is normal and what it’s supposed to be—that is, except for the yellow tape that runs across the branches, waist-high, to indicate entry to the woods isn’t allowed. It makes the place feel like it’s hiding a huge crime scene within, the tape probably running several meters long since none of them can see where it begins or ends. 

“Ok, here we are,” Heeseung announces unhelpfully. He’s already taking his phone out. “I’ll take a video of you, and then we’re heading back.”

That had been the plan, but not from the outside of the yellow tape. 

“Wait, we’ll have to get across.”

Niki is thinking the same thing as Jake, already leaning downward with a hand on the tape to push it up, but he pauses when Daniel speaks up, panicked. 

“Wait! I thought we were just checking it out? We can’t go in there!”

Jake waves a hand dismissively despite Heeseung’s following protests. 

“We’re not allowed—”

“It’s going to be fine. We’ll just take a few steps in. No big deal.”

He and Niki turn to each other and cross the tape at the same time, straightening and freezing in unison as a strong, cold breeze wafts around them to ruffle their hair and make the branches of the naked trees around them creak. It’s a little creepy that _that_ happened as they stepped past the treeline, but then nothing else follows. Nothing else happens. 

“See,” Jake declares, looking from Niki to a worried-looking Daniel and a frowning Heeseung. “We’re fine. Take the video hyung, please!”

Heeseung is shaking his head. “I should’ve just pushed you in myself… ok, ready!”

Niki’s not listening, has eyes for the forest only. The trees here are dense, and it’s difficult to see around numerous trunks, as if they’d huddled together in this part on purpose to stop anyone from going in. 

“I have a dare for you hyung,” he eventually says, nudging Jake who’s waving and posing at Heeseung’s phone since it’s already recording. “Let’s see who can stay the longest in the forest.”

Jake abruptly stops his antics, turning to Niki in amusement. “Seriously? You think I won’t do it?”

“Don’t,” Heeseung interjects loudly, though he isn’t doing anything to stop them and keeps the phone on record mode. “Kei-hyung will kill you. I’ll help.”

Daniel just stands on the sidelines, looking unsure. 

“I’ll do it too. Twenty seconds. If someone goes back before the twenty seconds is up, then… he’ll have to go out to his room’s balcony wearing boxers only.”

Jake laughs. “You’re on! I’ll go first—count aloud!”

Daniel has ventured closer, hesitant still, but it looks like he wants to see how long Jake can last within the forest himself. Even Heeseung hasn’t tried to stop him again, and it gives Jake an idea. He’ll scare them a bit by not coming back out after twenty. They’ll freak out for sure. 

“Ok!” Niki has his own phone out, showing the screen to Heeseung who’s still recording the two of them. “We have the timer set. Ready hyung?”

Jake flashes the camera a thumbs up. “Yeah! Start counting!”

 **one** _two_ three **four** _five_

Jake turns around and takes a deep breath. And then he takes a step, and then another, and another until he’s walking, carefully stepping around exposed tree roots. His friends are all counting aloud, cheerful, as he walks on. 

six **seven** _eight_ nine **ten**

Some of the trees, even further in, are still a little close to each other so that Jake has to squeeze himself between tree trunks sometimes. Absently, he can hear Niki in the distance, counting the loudest. His dongsaeng is so going to lose this. 

_eleven_ twelve **thirteen** _fourteen_ fifteen

A branch ahead creaks extra loudly, surprising Jake a bit but enough that he loses his balance. Having just stepped around an overly large, gnarly tree root when it happened—

**sixteen** _seventeen_ eighteen **nineteen**

_“TWENTY!”_

Jake comes flying as he trips, falling face first on the hard, snowy ground. He barely catches himself using his hands. He’d made a surprised sound before he hit the snow, but not wanting to scare his friends too much, he calls back out: 

“I’m fine! Just fell, hahaha!”

There’s no reply, but Jake assumes they’re the ones trying to scare him this time. Maybe they had the same idea of scaring each other. Pushing himself up to a sitting position, he dusts off snow from his hair, cheeks, and jacket, wincing a little at the pain on his right wrist. Must have landed the wrong way when he used it to break his fall… 

“Guys—”

Jake stands up, looks up, and nearly screams. 

_“Holy shit!”_

With a hand over his chest, Jake starts laughing. For a minute, it seemed like a smoky phantom was floating before his vision, but it had just been his breaths: misting because of the cold, not a ghost or whatever else is supposed to be in this forest. He takes a minute to let his heartbeat slow down. _Ok._ Everything’s ok. Turning back around, he assumes it’s past twenty seconds by now since no one’s counting anymore. 

“Beat that Niki-yah!” He shouts in challenge. There’s still no answer, but Jake lets his friends have their fun. Using his earlier footprints to trace his way back, Jake squeezes himself in between two trees closest to the treeline and shouts in victory as he makes it to the other side…

Only to be greeted with more trees.

_Huh?_

Jake looks behind him, then looks down on the ground. His footprints began here—it’s obvious because there are no other footsteps before it facing the woods. _But wait a minute…_ where are Niki’s footsteps on the snow? And more importantly, why can’t he see the outline of the yellow tape anywhere?

It can’t be. 

_Can it?_

Jake feels himself shiver as he looks around, only noticing how quiet it’s become. He can’t hear anything else but his rioting heartbeat, emphasized by his shallow breaths. The trees still creak, but it almost feels like they’re trying to be quiet about it. That’s a strange thought of course, but that’s what it feels like. Jake gets the impression they’re _being careful,_ if that makes sense. 

_Shit shit shit shit shit._

“Never go to the forest,” Jake mutters to himself, his pulse frenzied as he starts walking. He’s not sure where, but he follows the direction he thinks is the right way. He’s just being paranoid here! Of course everything’s ok. He can find his way back since the story isn’t real. _It can’t be._ “It’s not real. This isn’t real. I can find my way back.”

With shaky but determined steps, Jake begins a long walk to nowhere.

* * *

One hour into his little procession, and Jake’s surroundings have become strange. The trees look taller, are much farther apart. It’s also much colder. 

He’s beginning to go uphill. The further he walks, the more he knows he’s right, and the more effort it takes. But this is a good development. A higher place will give him a view over the treetops. He’ll be able to see the ski resort and make his way back.

And yes, he still doesn’t believe the story. No way.

 _It’s not real,_ he tells himself resolutely. The branches are still creaking in that subdued way of theirs, but he just repeats the same words. _It’s not real._

The quiet is deafening. Jake can hear his isolated pulse as much as he can feel it, but it’s no longer as frantic. It’s still thrumming irregularly though. _Fight. Flight._ Not like he has anything to worry about. There’s no one else in this forest, or at least that’s what it seems like. 

Jake would rather it remained that way. 

Shivering despite the layers of clothes he has on, Jake wraps his arms around himself and rubs his arms unconsciously. Again, it feels colder. Colder than just a few minutes ago. If this keeps up, there’s no grisly and mysterious death in store for him here, just hypothermia. Just—

This time, there’s no mistaking _that_ creak. That one is not trying to be quiet at all. In a heartbeat, Jake’s looking upwards, eyes scanning the branches he can see, the thick ones that can support weight. There’s nothing but… _Jake’s sure._ After hearing the soft creaking of earlier for the last few minutes, he can tell. With a shuddery intake of breath, Jake starts running.

_Up up up up the… woah._

When Jake reaches level ground at the top of the hill, almost on his knees and panting wildly, his breath still manages to catch in his throat at what he sees. _That doesn’t belong here._ Not only is the sky open overhead as if the trees never were… 

There’s a Greek-like temple right there, in the middle of this plateau that he’s in. 

Now Jake’s no expert in architecture, but he’s pretty sure he’s seen this type of stone and columns in books that talked about Greece. That’s odd in itself, but more bizarre is the fact that things are _growing_ around the temple: bordering a dark and yawning entrance are crawling vines with blue and yellow flowers, and on one side there’s a majestic jacaranda with sweeping branches, creating a vibrant purple canopy that acts like a door. 

All of it in this snow. _How?_

It takes him only a split second to make the decision—and besides, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Forgetting about what had just transpired before now, Jake starts walking toward the magnificent structure to check it out. He realizes doing things like _checking something out_ has put him in this situation in the first place, but what else is he supposed to do?

That and maybe it’s warmer inside the temple than out here. 

When he reaches the canopy, he very hesitantly touches the vines, almost sure they’re going to come alive because they belong to some kind of giant-eating flower. But nothing happens and, with a deep breath, Jake pushes them aside and enters the structure for surprise number two. 

The place is some type of garden. 

This, Jake is sure of. Wild plants don’t arrange themselves by type, nor do they crawl into containers sitting atop wooden shelves to make a home in them. Does this mean someone’s caring for this place? All of the people who got lost in the forest, maybe? If that’s the case, they have a new employee. Because this is like, some kind of flower shop right? 

Jake chuckles at his own silly joke. 

His feet seem to have grown a mind of their own now as he steps further inside, making sure not to touch any of the flowers and other strange-looking plants. Here and there, there are still patches of snow, but it isn’t like outside as if this indoor place can’t quite decide between spring and winter.

Wait.... _there._ That sound. Is that _water?_ It sure seems like it. Flowing water to be exact. 

Following the far away trickling, Jake walks on, pausing sometimes to look at an unknown bloom. He still doesn’t touch anything, both because this might finally be the man-eating flower he hopes doesn’t exist in this place (wherever this is), but also because they’ve been so carefully planted. He can see that the soil is damp, and all the flowers are healthy. It’s obvious that someone loves these plants, and he doesn’t want to destroy any of them by accident. 

Finally, he reaches the end of several shelves, to find an empty space before him, a little dark, with a jagged crack on the floor. From how it looks, it feels like it’s divided the temple in half. It’s where the water is coming from: a brook, its water crystal clear, possibly cold, making this wonderfully peaceful sound as bodies of water tend to do. This time, there are wild flowers; they've grown on the edges of said crack, outlining it in such a way that seems both deliberate and not. 

It’s all beautiful, mostly surreal, but above all… 

“Hello.”

Jake turns abruptly and with a scream, but it gets immediately cut off as he trips and lands backwards—straight into the brook.


End file.
